WorldSBK Race Two
Although his team-mate pushed him almost all the way in the second 21-lap race of the Balaton race weekend, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) won his 12th straight race from the start of this season, a record of domination no rider has ever managed before.
His latest triple winning prowess means Bulega has won 12 races in succession on the new Ducati V4-R, and 16 consecutive races when you consider his wins from 2025. The previous record run for the latter was 13.
Iker Lecuona (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) was second in the final Balaton Race, while the Independent Ducati rider fight for third place went to Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team).
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven Ducati) closed in on Montella but could not quite catch him at the flag, but his fourth place was another impressive ride in any case.
Even more noteworthy was a season best of fifth Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team), who picked off riders on nominally faster machines. This was his best Kawasaki finish since he joined them in 2025.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati) fought his way up to sixth, overtaking long time strong front runner Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing Ducati).
Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) stuck in a strong performance, but went from the top four to a final eighth as other riders showed greater pace in the later stages of the 21-lap contest.
Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was top R1 battler in ninth and Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was tenth. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) crashed out.
Neither BMW rider made it to the Race Two grid, as Petrucci’s left hip injury suffered this morning caused his withdrawal from the long Sunday race.
Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) remains in hospital for checks on his shoulder and concussion injuries, but he is conscious and it appears at this stage that things are not as bad as they could have been, given the severity of his crash.
In the championship battle, Bulega has a perfect 248 points already, Lecuona has 166, Sam Lowes 99 and Oliveira 85.
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Race Two
1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
- Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.557s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +11.970s
- Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +12.478s
- Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) +24.903s
WorldSSP Race Two
After Race One winner Valentin Debise (ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) was forced out with a technical issue, the field of play was once again dominated by Yamaha riders in the early stages of the 18-lap Sunday WorldSSP race.
Albert Arenas (AS Racing Yamaha) would make a move late in the race to ensure that he would win, taking an eventual 0.5 second margin of victory over Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing).
Third placed Roberto Garcia (GMT94-Yamaha) was right on the Turkish rider’s beam as they crossed the finish line, with top non-Ducati rider being Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing Ducati), in fourth place.
Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) made up lots of ground to finish fifth, with Tom Booth-Amos (Triumph Factory Racing) completing a similar job to end up sixth in the final analysis.
Seventh place for Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) made him the top Kawasaki rider, just over five seconds behind Arenas.
Over ten seconds back, last year’s podium rider Simon Jespersen (EAB Racing Team) was eighth, Aldi Satya Mahendra (AS Racing Yamaha) ninth and Lucas Mahias (GMT94-Yamaha) tenth.
After a warm-up fall, Oliver Bayliss (Triumph Factory Racing) was ruled out of the race with an elbow contusion.
In the championship points, Arenas has moved comfortably ahead of Masia, 150 points to 117. Debise is third, despite his Race Two no-score, on 97 points. Philipp Öttl GER (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team Ducati) who was a crasher and no-scorer in Race Two in Hungary, is fourth overall, with 89 points.
Next round – Autodrom Most, between 15-17 May.
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—WorldSSP Race Two
- Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team)
- Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.419s
- Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.509s
- Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) +1.017s
- Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +2.524s
WorldWCR Race Two
The second WorldWCR race at Balaton, over a full 11 laps this time around, was won by Paola Ramos (Klint Racing Team), after a final three way fight with second place rider Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) and championship leader, Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR). Only 0.241 seconds covered them at the flag.
Fourth place was taken by Thai rider Muklada Sarapuech (EEST NJT Racing) who was 2.715 seconds back after running inside the leading bunch for much of the race.
Roberta Ponziani (Klint Racing Team) placed fifth, ten seconds back from the winner. Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) ended her day in sixth place, with French rider Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94 Yamaha) seventh and Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha) eighth.
Chloe Jones (Monster Energy Crescent) and Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) completed the top ten, with Aussie rider Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) 11th.
In the championship, Herrera has 131 points, Neila 117, Ramos 86 and Ponziani 76.
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—WorldWCR Race Two
- Paola Ramos (Klint Racing Team)
- Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +0.227s
- Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) +0.241s
- Muklada Sarapuech (EEST NJT Racing Team) +2.715s
- Roberta Ponziani (Klint Racing Team) +10.429s
WorldSBK Race One
After his only realistic Race One rival – his team-mate Lecuona – was penalised by a drop in three grid spots for Race One, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) started well and set a new lap record on lap two, posting a 1’38.783 as he pushed ahead of the chasing pack.
Inexorably, predictably Bulega made certain of a new outright record of 14 consecutive WorldSBK race wins, set between last year and this. Toprak Razgatlioglu got to 13 consecutive wins on two occasions, but in a season when he is an almost unopposed leader so far, Bulega became the first to 14.
Iker Lecuona (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati), who got into second place on lap seven, only after fighting through a strong phalanx of leading riders, was already well behind the fleeing Bulega when he had clean air in front of him.
Despite setting lap times faster than Bulega at times, Lecuona would end of 2.5 seconds back on his team-mate.
Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) turned what seemed like no chance of a podium on Friday into his fourth podium of his ‘rookie’ season, passing all the early non-factory Ducati forces to end up 12 seconds down on Bulega, but in third place.
He was 1.4 seconds up on early podium challenger, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team). Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) took fifth place, and was a second behind his team-mate, having passed Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) near the end.
Lowes’ sixth place was the top bimota ride of the day, putting him 5.7 seconds ahead of the top R1, ridden by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha).
Twenty-one year old fearless early podium contender, Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing Ducati) held off Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati) for eighth place, after Lowes got two ride through penalties for jump starting.
In a final tenth place, Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) led home an incredibly close fight for tenth, with four riders right behind him.
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Race One
| 1 | Nicolo Bulega | (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) | |
| 2 | Iker Lecuona | (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) | +2.538s |
| 3 | Miguel Oliveira | (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) | +12.584s |
| 4 | Yari Montella | (Barni Spark Racing Team) | +14.077s |
| 5 | Alvaro Bautista | (Barni Spark Racing Team) | +15.032s |
WorldSSP Race One
Valentin Debise (ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) would win a race that looked like a Yamaha benefit after lap one, with four R9 riders in the lead.
It took until the final time around, into T15 of all 17 corners, for Debise to make an audacious double pass on eventual second place rider Albert Arenas (AS Racing Yamaha) and third placed Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing).
Off podium Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) was very close to the leading trio after their last-lap sort-out, and just 0.770 seconds from Debise. Fifth was the top Ducati rider, Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing Ducati).
Philipp Öttl GER (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team Ducati) only just beat the hard-charging Tom Booth-Amos (Triumph Factory Racing) to sixth place, after Booth-Amos had come through from 25th place on the grid.
Simon Jespersen (EAB Racing Team), Aldi Satya Mahendra (AS Racing Yamaha) and Mattia Casadei (D34G WorldSSP Racing Team) rounded out the top ten.
Oli Bayliss (Triumph Factory Racing) ran off track and eventually finished a lap down.
Starting from 26th place on the grid, Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) collided at T1 with wildcard rider Andreas Kofler (Motorsport Kofler Yamaha) and could not get restarted, changing the dynamic of the World Championship fight as Arenas moved 19 points clear with one more Balaton WorldSSP race to go.
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—WorldSSP Race One
| 1 | Valentin Debise | (EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory) | |
| 2 | Albert Arenas | (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) | +0.132s |
| 3 | Can Oncu | (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) | +0.377 |
| 4 | Jeremy Alcoba | (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) | +0.770 |
| 5 | Matteo Ferrari | (WRP Racing) | +1.092s |
WorldWCR Race One
Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) ran out the winner of the first – and shortened – WorldWCR race at Balaton Park. After a delay due to a warm-up lap crash the race went from 11 laps to nine.
In second place, and just 0.263 seconds behind the win, was Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha), with Paola Ramos (Klint Racing Team) third, and just 0.414 seconds from Herrera.
Ramos’ team-mate, Roberta Ponziani (Klint Racing Team), was fourth, and over 2.3 seconds back at the flag.
Strong new entry this season, Muklada Sarapuech (EEST NJT Racing) was fifth, ahead of British rider Chloe Jones (Monster Energy Crescent).
Spanish riders Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha) and Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) placed seventh and eighth, while Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) and Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) completed the top ten.
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—WorldWCR Race One
| 1 | Maria Herrera | (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) | |
| 2 | Beatriz Neila | (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) | +0.263s |
| 3 | Paola Ramos | (Klint Racing Team) | +0.414s |
| 4 | Roberta Ponziani | (Klint Racing Team) | +2.355s |
| 5 | Muklada Sarapuech | (EEST NJT Racing Team) | +13.728s |
Friday WorldSBK
Iker Lecuona (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) displaced his own teammate Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) in FP2 at Balaton, thanks to a final lap of 1’38.860 – putting himself just half a second from the all-time WorldSBK best after just one day in Hungary.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati) was third in the second session, with Italian Independent riders, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven Ducati) and Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing Ducati) fourth and fifth.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) locked out the top seven positions for Ducati.
The first non V4-R rider after two practice sessions was Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), in eighth position, followed by the first BMW of Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) completed the Friday top ten.
The best Yamaha on Friday was ridden by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), in 13th place from the 22 competing riders. Garrett Gerloff from the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team was 14th.
The top Honda on day one was ridden by Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC), but in 20th place.
Superpole Qualifying and then Race One will be up next for the WorldSBK riders, on Saturday 2 May.
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—Friday WorldSBK
| 1 | Iker Lecuona | (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) | 1:38.860s |
| 2 | Nicolo Bulega | (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) | +0.103s |
| 3 | Sam Lowes | (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) | +0.141s |
| 4 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | (Team GoEleven) | +0.437s |
| 5 | Alberto Surra | (Motocorsa Racing) | +0.522s |
Friday WorldSSP
A close Superpole Qualifying contest at the arena-like Balaton park was won – by a decent margin in relative terms – by title contender Albert Arenas (AS Racing Yamaha), from another R9 rider, Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing).
The lead-to-second advantage was 0.205 seconds, but from Arenas to Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Racing) in 13th place, there was less than a second of difference.
After some great early season showings from the more fancied top Ducati riders, Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing Ducati) was third quickest and last year’s Balaton podium sensation, Simon Jespersen (EAB Racing Team), placed fourth.
Filippo Farioli (VFT Racing Team Yamaha) was fifth on his R9, with the already proven race-winning package of a ZXMOTO 820RR and Valentin Debise rounding out a slightly unusual top six ranking.
Four Yamaha riders made it into the top seven grid positions for Race One, with Roberto Garcia (GMT94-YAMAHA) seventh.
Top Kawasaki rider was Jeremy Alcoba in eighth, with Federico Caricasulo (ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) ninth and Assen race winner Philipp Öttl GER (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team Ducati) rounding out the top ten.
Thirty three riders qualified for the Balaton WorldSSP Races.
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—Friday WorldSSP
| 1 | Albert Arenas | (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) | 1:42.050s |
| 2 | Can Oncu | (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) | +0.205s |
| 3 | Matteo Ferrari | (WRP Racing) | +0.304s |
| 4 | Simon Jespersen | (EAB Racing Team) | +0.309s |
| 5 | Filippo Farioli | (VFT Racing Yamaha) | +0.507s |
Friday WorldWCR
Maria Herrera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) won the Superpole Qualifying contest on day one at the Balaton Park circuit in Hungary, holding off Paola Ramos (Klint Racing Team) by 0.562 seconds.
Roberta Ponziani (Klint Racing Team) was second quickest, but a surprising 1.323 seconds from Herrera’s pole position time.
Thai rider Muklada Sarapuech (EEST NJT Racing) eased out long-standing WorldWCR force Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) to take fourth spot on the grid. Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) was sixth, with Aussie rider Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) seventh and Mexican Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) eighth. The top ten in Qualifying was locked out by British rider Chloe Jones (Monster Energy Crescent) and Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha).
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Results—Friday WorldWCR
| 1 | Maria Herrera | (Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR) | 1:52.264s |
| 2 | Paola Ramos | (Klint Racing Team) | +0.562s |
| 3 | Roberta Ponziani | (Klint Racing Team) | +1.323s |
| 4 | Muklada Sarapuech | (EEST NJT Racing Team) | +1.659s |
| 5 | Beatriz Neila | (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) | +1.705s |
